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Decency deficit

In Steubenville rape case, many witnesses did nothing to help

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Saturday January 12, 2013 5:05 AM

The attention surrounding an allegation of rape at a high-school party in Steubenville isn’t
surprising; the ugly details attract notice, and the case presents serious issues for the town to
sort out.

But the argument about the legalities leaves out a question screaming to be asked: How is it
that seemingly normal teenagers can treat themselves and others as badly as those in this case did?
How many people consider it within the bounds of normal?

The legal question is whether a 16-year-old girl was raped by two high-school football players.
Beyond that, some people are asking whether the town’s extreme adulation for its successful
football program means officials aren’t taking the allegation seriously, while supporters of the
players claim out-of-town vigilantes are trying to railroad them.

But anyone who hears about the case should be shocked by the facts that aren’t in dispute.

Tweets, texts and videos shared on social media leave little doubt that the 16-year-old girl in
question was manhandled and abused while drunk and unconscious. A photograph shared on Instagram
(and virtually every broadcast and cable TV network) shows two boys lifting her by her wrists and
ankles.

Statements from witnesses paint a picture of stunning callousness. One said people taunted the
girl and cheered as one boy taunted another to urinate on her. The two boys charged with rape are
said to have essentially carried her, unconscious, to two parties after they left the first
one.

Other witnesses described the accused boys exposing themselves to her and violating her in a
variety of ways.

The girl was so drunk she remembers nothing, but within a day, a steady stream of social-media
posts had spread the tale and images throughout the town. Many of the posts, videos and photos have
been deleted, but a woman who used to live in Steubenville, and didn’t trust the police to
investigate it thoroughly, saved many as screen shots.

The city of Steubenville, stung by the negative publicity, has established a website with a
clear account of the case to date, including a pledge to follow public-records law.

The local prosecuting attorney and the judge, who know some of the people involved, have removed
themselves from the case, turning it over to the Ohio Attorney General’s office and a visiting
judge.

One must hope officials will prosecute the criminal case fairly. While that happens, though,
parents and teens should ponder what happened: A girl described as an honor student went to a party
without her parents’ permission and got drunk enough to black out. Others who say they saw her
being violated and mocked weren’t moved to tell anyone to stop; they called it a rape but joked
about it.